Posts Tagged ‘mayonnaise’

I do not pride myself on being ahead of culinary trends, or even knowing when one has come and gone. However, I read enough food magazines and go out to eat enough to realize that we really are seeing a trend of casual/street food turned gourmet. Restaurants serve gourmet $20 burgers with fois gras, hot spots are touting fancy wood-fired pizzas wearing brussels spouts and pistachios and taco joints are serving up the traditional Mexican fare stuffed with braised short ribs and kimchi. But one of the most fascinating trendy spots I have seen is a restaurant downtown that showcases what a dressed up hot dog can really do. And this place really does the job – a turducken dog, a croque monsieur with ham and bechamel, and a Chevy Chase complete with pretzels and beer cheese.

At first I was skeptical – that is until I actually had one of these exhibitions of gourmet picnic food. Who knew a hot dog could be so multi-dimensional. And, as a home cook, it has opened my eyes to what “dressed up casual food” I could make on an average weeknight.

So, when I saw a recipe for a BLT hot dog with caraway remoulade in my Food and Wine magazine, I thought why not? It is quick (easy for a weeknight), cheap (how much can all beef dogs really be?) and completely unique (not sure who decided to put bacon on a hot dog, but that person should win a Pulitzer Prize).

I cannot rave enough about this super simple recipe that tasted exactly like a BLT (but a bit better, to be honest!). The lettuce mixed in the homemade remoulade really makes the dish, so make sure to get a bite of it along with the dog, tomatoes and bacon.

This is surely going in my recipe book not only for an easy weeknight standby, but also to really mix up my next grill out. Who said picnic food can’t be a little fancy?

In a medium bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the shallot, capers, pickle and toasted caraway seeds.

Put the cooked hot dogs in the buns; top with the bacon and tomatoes. Toss the lettuce and basil with some of the caraway remoulade. Top the dogs with the slaw. Serve any remaining remoulade on the side.

I recently finished a book called “I Loved, I Lost, I Make Spaghetti” by Giulia Melucci. The book was a quick read, and a wonderful mix between Sex in the City and Bon Appetit. The book takes you through Guilia’s dating life, along with the food she makes along the way. Recipes sneak into many of the pages, so the creations can be made by the reader.

When I read her crab cake recipe, made for her boyfriend at the time as an “all American dish,” I thought I could give it a try with the crab I had from a month ago (frozen) on this Fourth of July Weekend.

I have to admit I have tried crab cakes before and although they are always good, I could never get the texture just right. I am unsure if it was this particular recipe or my previous “practice,” but these cakes had the perfect crab cake texture. After reading more on the subject, I have a few tips for making crab cakes that don’t turn into crab scramble.
1. Make sure your recipe includes an egg as a binder.
2. Make sure your recipe includes some panko/bread crumbs as an additional binder.
3. Make sure to refrigerate for at least one hour to solidify before baking or frying.

Now that I have the basics down, I might get creative with this classic recipe – but for now, this is one of the best crab cakes I have ever had. I created a lemon mayo sauce to be served on the side.

Thanks to Giulia Melucci for her recipe, adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine.

I love Thai food. I love burgers. So, I thought this recipe could be a good one when I came across it. As you know, I am a stickler for adding moisture to turkey burgers so they do not dry out, and this recipe has a great paste of shallot, cilantro, ginger, jalapeno and fish sauce. The fish sauce really gives it great moisture – then the spicy mayo gives another great element.

Instead of Sriracha I used a sweet spicy sauce (called sweet chili sauce) so I would recommend using whatever Asian sauce you have, really!

I made this with an Asian slaw I came up with on a whim. I just took a bag of pre-cut slaw and added a dose of the sweet/hot Asian mayo to it along with some cilantro and ground peanuts. Tasted great!

We will be making this one again. It is a great twist on burgers (and is healthier than beef!). Thanks to Food & Wine for this great recipe!

In a mini food processor, pulse the shallot, cilantro, ginger and jalapeño with the fish sauce until chopped. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and knead in the turkey. Using slightly moistened hands, form the meat into four 4-inch patties, about 3/4 inch thick.

Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Brush the burgers with oil and grill over moderately high heat, turning once, until golden and crusty and just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise with the Sriracha. Spread the mixture on the rolls. Top with the burgers, pickles, lettuce, mint and peanuts, close and serve.